setting events programmatically - javascript

I am setting the className of a table row in my code, is it possible to do something similiar to set an event on a row? This is along the lines of what I would like to do :
for (var i = 1; i < numRows; i++) {
var ID = table.rows[i].id;
if (i % 2 == 0) {
table.rows[i].className = "GridRow";
table.rows[i].onmouseout = "GridRow";
}
else {
table.rows[i].className = "GridRowAlt";
table.rows[i].onmouseout = "GridRowAlt";
}
}

Yes, you can assign a function instance to the event handler that way:
table.rows[i].onmouseout = function() { ... };
Be careful doing that in loops, because you're creating a new function on every loop and the function closes over the data in scope (and so has an enduring reference to it, not a copy of it as of when the function was created; see this other recent question for more). But don't worry, closures are not complicated once you understand how they work.
In general, this is called "DOM0" event handling because it involves a method of attaching event handlers that was created prior to the first DOM specification. As of DOM2, there's a better way addEventListener:
table.rows[i].addEventListener('mouseout',function() { ... }, false);
It's "better" because you can have more than one event handler on the same event of the same element, whereas with the DOM0 mechanism, assigning a new event handler disconnects the previous one (if any).
On IE prior to IE9, sadly, addEventListener wasn't supported but it did have the very similar attachEvent:
table.rows[i].attachEvent('onmouseout',function() { ... });
Note the differences:
addEventListener's event names don't have the "on" prefix
addEventListener has one more param than attachEvent, which you almost always want to set false
Update:
All of the examples above are for inline anonymous functions, which is a bit unlike me, because I don't like anonymous functions. So just for clarity, from an events perspective, a function is a function. It can be a named function you declare elsewhere, or an inline anonymous function, whatever:
// Hook up...
table.rows[i].addEventListener('mouseout', handleRowMouseOut, false);
// Nice, reusable function defined elsewhere
function handleRowMouseOut(event) {
// ...
}
Off-topic: It's these sorts of browser differences that lead me to geneerally recommend using a library like jQuery, Prototype, YUI, Closure, or any of several others. They smooth over differences for you as well as providing lots of handy utility functions.

table.rows[i].onmouseout = "GridRow"; doesn't make a lot of sense, table.rows[i].onmouseout = function(){alert('hello');}; or some other valid script ought to work though.

Why don't you just use jQuery or some other JavaScript framework? This way your code gets more simple.
var i = 0;
$('#some_table tr').each(function() {
if (i % 2 == 0) {
$(this).addClass('GridRow');
$(this).mouseout(function(evt) { /* your GridRow function */ });
} else {
$(this).addClass('GridRowAlt');
$(this).mouseout(function(evt) { /* your GridRowAlt function */ });
}
i++;
})
Sultan

The original question is not to alert "GridRow". I'm quit sure GridRow is a function name. Fortunately each function is a child of window so write window["GridRow"].
I would add a well known bind-event function, because you need it quite often.
var bindEvent=function(elem,evt,func){
if(elem.addEventListener){
elem.addEventListener(evt,func,false);
}
else if(elem.attachEvent){
elem.attachEvent('on'+evt,function(){
func.call(event.srcElement,event);
})
}
};
and then:
bindEvent(table.rows[i],"mouseout",window["GridRow"]);

Related

how to increment a let variable without calling/creating a listerner function

In javascript we have addEventlister, this listens to an even and calls a function called a listener function. Is an alternate approach possible where we increment the value of a "let variable" without using a function to do this in case of event being triggered?
Instead of this
let clickVar = 0;
x.addEventListener("click", RespondClick);
function RespondClick() {
clickVar++;
}
Sample Alternate implementation
x.addEventListner(click);
if (event == true){ clickVar++; }
======Edit======
Responding to the comment
The more I read this, the more it seems like an XY problem - is there something else you are trying to solve?`
In my view, the second approach is more intuitive. i.e. why create a function unless it's absolutely necessary.
Responding to the comment
There is no logic to how the second approach. The code you write will be executed once. If you want to run code more than once, you have to call a function. In order to run a function when an event happens, you need an event listener.
This simple amendment should take care of the one-time calling problem.
x.addEventListner(click);
if (event == true){ clickVar++; event=false; }
But the point I am trying to make is function could have been avoided, the code could be easy enough to speak, not only write.
Your second sample doesn't work. That simply isn't how event listeners work. You must use a callback function. If you think the first sample is too verbose, you can use an anonymous function:
let clickVar = 0;
x.addEventListener("click", function() {
clickVar++;
});
Or an arrow function in more modern versions of Javascript
x.addEventListener("click", () => {
clickVar++;
});

document.querySelector() on elements not in DOM?

I'm working on a website, with jQuery but I'm trying to not use it anymore. In jQuery you can add an even listener on a element that wasn't on the website or wasn't created yet and no problem. I have elements that are only on the DOM when you're logged in, and I only have one JS file for the whole website.
Problem is, for example, when you're logged in you can't see the "log in" button, it's not even in the DOM, but it still have the event listener in the code, no error on the console, script runs well.
$("#logInButton").on("click", somefunction);
But, using document.querySelector("#logInButton").onclick = somefunction and being logged in already, it throws an error because document.querySelector("#logInButton") is null.
I can do like:
let logInButton = document.querySelector("#logInButton");
logInButton ? logInButton.onclick = somefunction : "";
And it works well, but I know it's not a good practice. Any workaround or improvement to that, not using jQuery?
JSFiddle if what happens. (See console)
And it works well, but I know it's not a good practice.
If having #logInButton on the page is optional, that's perfectly good practice — other than using onclick rather than addEventListener (but that's probably a matter of style). Naturally, you'd have this code in a script linked at the end of the document, just prior to the </body> tag (or trigger it via a DOMContentLoaded callback).
But if you want the equivalent of the jQuery, you need to think in jQuery's "set-based" mindset and use querySelectorAll:
// Not very efficient
document.querySelectorAll("#logInButton").forEach(function() {
// Set up the handler here using `this`
});
Except that jQuery optimizes queries using #id format to a getElementById call (which is dramatically faster) and then uses an if (like yours) to build the set with either one element or zero.
Perhaps in your quest to not use jQuery, you might give yourself a couple of helper functions to take its place, as the DOM API is quite verbose. If you like jQuery's set-based nature, you might even make them set-based:
function MyQuery(selector) {
if (!selector) {
this.data = [];
} else if (typeof selector === "string") {
// (jQuery takes it further than this, search in an unminified version for `rquickExpr`)
var id = /#([\w-]+)/.match(selector);
if (id) {
var e = document.getElementById(id[0]);
this.data = e ? [e] : [];
} else {
this.data = Array.from(document.querySelector(selector));
}
} else {
/* ...handle other things, such as DOM elements or arrays of them...? */
this.data = /*...*/;
}
}
MyQuery.prototype = {
constructor: MyQuery,
on: function(eventName, handler) {
this.data.forEach(function(element) {
element.addEventListener(eventName, handler);
});
return this;
}
// ...etc...
};
function qset(selector) {
return new MyQuery(selector);
}
Then
qset("#logInButton").on("click", /*...*/);
Of course, you might find yourself basically recreating jQuery. But if you keep it lean...
Side note: Using forEach on the return value of querySelectorAll requires an up-to-date browser, or that you polyfill it:
if (typeof NodeList !== "undefined" &&
NodeList.prototype &&
!NodeList.prototype.forEach) {
Object.defineProperty(NodeList.prototype, "forEach", {
value: Array.prototype.forEach
});
}
For truly obsolete browsers (like IE8), you'd have to polyfill Array.prototype.forEach first.
You can do it the same way jQuery does it, using event bubbling.
document.addEventListener('click', function (ev) {
if (ev.target.id === 'someIdHere') {
console.log('click');
}
});

How to attach an event listener to a javascript var

I am a somewhat green programmer, and quite new to javascript/jquery, but I thought I understood javascript events. Apparently not. I am not able to get event listeners to work as I'd like.
Given javascript:
var Thing = {
//stuff
update: function() {
$.event.trigger({type:'stateUpdate', more:stuff});
}
};
var Room = {
//more stuff
updateHandler: function (e) {
//handle event here
}
};
If I do jquery:
$(document).on('stateUpdate', $Room.updateHandler);
then it works fine, but I can't do either
$(Room).on('stateUpdate', $Room.updateHandler);
or
Room.addEventListerner('stateUpdate', $Room.updateHandler);
The first does nothing, the second gives .addEventListerner is not a function error.
I've googled for hours and can't figure it out. I found something that said .addEventListener only works on objects that implement EventListener, something about handleEvent, and something about functions automatically implementing EventListener. Nothing on how to make an object implement it. Is there no way to add listeners to javascript objects that aren't functions? Am I going to have to create an event handler object, or use 'document' or 'window' and have it call handlers? That seems really ugly.
Should the objects be functions in the first place? Would that work? It seems the current opinion is that making everything functions is just trying to make javascript into something it isn't.
AFAIK there are no way to add a event listener to the plain object, as it is not placed inside DOM. Events are firing inside DOM, and bubbling so your event listener for custom object won't receive it.
There is a http://www.bobjs.com/ framework that can help you implement custom events.
In response to #Barmar (sort of) I believe I worked this out. Confirmation on if this is a a good alternative or not would be nice, though. Basically, I have to do a subscriber thing, right? Almost event/listener, but not quite.
var thing = {
callbacks: {},
regCallback: function (key, which) {
callbacks[key] = which;
},
remCallback: function (key) {
callbacks[key].delete;
}
update: function(e) {
for(var i = 0, len = callbacks.length; i < len;i++){
callbacks[i](e);
};
}
};
var Room = {
updateHandler: function () {
//handle stuff
},
subscribe: function (which, callback) {
which.regCallback('room', callback);
}
unsub: function (which) {
which.remCallback('room');
}
};
//wherever/whenever I need to get updates something like
Room.subscribe(thing, Room.updateHandler);
//unsub
Room.unsub(thing);
Second error is caused by typo: addEventListerner has extra r in it.

Safely using hook events in JavaScript

In source code here
http://www.daftlogic.com/sandbox-javascript-slider-control.htm
There is these instructions:
// safely hook document/window events
if (document.onmousemove != f_sliderMouseMove) {
window.f_savedMouseMove = document.onmousemove;
document.onmousemove = f_sliderMouseMove;
}
I don't understand what it does and why it would be safer to do that this way, does someone understand?
It might be that some other code already assigned an event handler to document.onmousemove. The problem with this method, as opposed to addEventListener, is that only one function can be assigned to element.onXXXX. Thus, if you blindly assign a new event handler, an already existing one might be overwritten and other code might break.
In such a case, I would write:
if (document.onmousemove) {
(function() {
var old_handler = document.onmousemove;
document.onmousemove = function() {
old_handler.apply(this, arguments);
f_sliderMouseMove.apply(this, arguments);
};
}());
}
else {
document.onmousemove = f_sliderMouseMove;
}
This way it is ensured that both event handlers are executed. But I guess that depends on the context of the code. Maybe f_sliderMouseMove calls window.f_savedMouseMove anyway.
It is just saving the current hook, presumably so it can call it at the end of its own hook method.
It avoids stamping on some other codes hook that was already set up.
You would expect the hook code to be something like:
f_sliderMouseMove = function(e) {
// Do my thing
// Do their thing
window.f_savedMouseMove();
}
[obligatory jquery plug] use jquery events and you can ignore problems like this...
It appears that this code is storing the function that is currently executed on a mouse move, before setting the new one. That way, it can presumably be restored later, or delegated to, if need be. This should increase compatibility with other code or frameworks.

jQuery temporary unbinding events

Maybe I'm totally missing something about even handling in jQuery, but here's my problem.
Let's assume there are some event binding, like
$(element).bind("mousemove", somefunc);
Now, I'd like to introduce a new mousemove binding that doesn't override the previous one, but temporarily exclude (unbind) it. In other words, when I bind my function, I must be sure that no other functions will ever execute for that event, until I restore them.
I'm looking for something like:
$(element).bind("mousemove", somefunc);
// Somefunc is used regularly
var savedBinding = $(element).getCurrentBinding("mousemove");
$(element).unbind("mousemove").bind("mousemove", myfunc);
// Use myfunc instead
$(element).unbind("mousemove", myfunc).bind("mousemove", savedBindings);
Of course, the somefunc is not under my control, or this would be useless :)
Is my understanding that is possible to bind multiple functions to the same event, and that the execution of those functions can't be pre-determined.
I'm aware of stopping event propagation and immediate event propagation, but I'm thinking that they are useless in my case, as the execution order can't be determined (but maybe I'm getting these wrong).
How can I do that?
EDIT: I need to highlight this: I need that the previously installed handler (somefunc) isn't executed. I am NOT defining that handler, it may be or may be not present, but its installed by a third-party user.
EDIT2: Ok, this is not feasible right now, I think I'm needing the eventListenerList, which is not implemented in most browsers yet. http://www.w3.org/TR/2002/WD-DOM-Level-3-Events-20020208/changes.html
Another way could be to use custom events, something along these lines:
var flag = 0;
$(element).bind("mousemove", function() {
if(flag) {
$(this).trigger("supermousemove");
} else {
$(this).trigger("magicmousemove");
}
}).bind("supermousemove", function() {
// do something super
}).bind("magicmousemove", function() {
// do something magical
});
$("#foo").click(function() {
flag = flag == 1 ? 0 : 1; // simple switch
});
Highly annoying demo here: http://jsfiddle.net/SkFvW/
Good if the event is bound to multiple elements:
$('.foo').click(function() {
if ( ! $(this).hasClass('flag')) {
do something
}
});
(add class 'flag' to sort of unbind, add it to 'bind')

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